Chelsea’s dismal defeat away to Brighton was the ‘two steps back’ following the encouraging step forward against Salzburg in midweek. It showed, again, Chelsea’s poor squad construction posing a riddle for any manager trying to get consistent high performances out of the current roster. — Let’s look at some of the squad issues Graham Potter (and Frank Lampard, and Thomas Tuchel before him) must grapple with, and highlight the very difficult choices he has to make.

Entering the much-loved first international break of the season, the Premier League table still has that too-early-to-tell higgledy-piggledy nature that only really tells you: this isn’t what it’ll look like by the end of the season. Six or seven games in is a small sample, but there are some emerging…

Will Graham Potter's Chelsea see the mainstreaming of the logical evolution of football tactics? The move of Graham Potter to Chelsea sees a manger who likes to start games in a 3-4-3 formation but isn’t shy if switching to a 4-3-3 in game, replacing a manager who likes to start…

Thomas Tuchel has a problem: he has a squad of good players but he has been criticised for not being able to knit together a coherent attacking side — but is that fair, and would moving from 3–4–3 to 4–3–3- be the answer, as so many fans seem to think? …

From Sports Fans TV Cricket Fan Show: a perspective, from decades of watching the game in England, on where English red ball cricket goes from here - beyond the attractive but cosmetic changes that often follow an Ashes disaster. For English cricket fans, whether they reflect on the latest Ashes…

A new competition not welcomed by all — English cricket’s new short form competition begins, a year late thanks to COVID, on 21st July 2021. To the ECB it’s a brave new dawn that will simplify and shorten the game; a spigot to tap into reservoirs of new fans and snappy content for eager broadcasters. To existing cricket…

Coming in second in the inaugural WTC — and making the final — is a very good return for a Kiwi side that, no matter what they do seem never to quite have the same cache and stardust as the other leading sides in world cricket. They reached the final…

Australia proved, once again, that they are fine team: a consistent and effective batting line up coupled with a world class bowling attack. So failing to reach the final, albeit by the finest of margins, can be considered a disappointment and a bit of an underachievement. Australia look well set…

With India hosting the Men’s World T20 World Cup in just six months’ time, the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is arguably more important than ever. A player succeeding in IPL 2021 will give themselves a golden chance of making the World Cup squads. In truth the…